Sports

The Charlotte Bobcats’ transition to Hornets is adding the original team’s colors as well.

The NBA franchise announced Sunday it will use purple and teal as the primary colors when it changes its name to Hornets for the 2014-15 season. The original Hornets used those colors from 1988-2002 before the franchise moved to New Orleans. The New Orleans Hornets switched their nickname to Pelicans this year. Black, cool gray and light blue will become secondary colors in Charlotte’s re-branding.

“It was important to us to acknowledge the heritage of the Charlotte Hornets when bringing the name back to the market,” Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said in a statement. “The purple and teal color scheme was instantly recognizable as being associated with the original Hornets and we felt it was only appropriate to utilize the colors once again with this historic brand.”

Surveys of Bobcats season ticket holders, sponsors and Charlotte residents found a majority of all three groups favored purple and teal for the renamed team. Starting on Monday, the Bobcats will roll out a three-week campaign that coincides with the return of purple and teal to the color scheme. Other phases of the “Buzz City” campaign includes a new logo, uniforms and mascot as the Bobcats morph into Hornets.